We need to stay constantly vigilant to protect and support breastfeeding wholeheartedly. Not to subtly or not-so-subtly undermine it, as Prolacta does with yesterday's article:

<http://www.prolacta.com/blog/dads-involvment/how-to-get-dad-involved-in-feeding-baby/>

"How to Get Dad Involved in Feeding Baby"

The article starts off fine, suggesting that fathers (not partners, I notice, only "fathers") get involved by changing diapers, doing chores, and so on. (Though I note that with chores they're constructed as "helping", not "doing", as if they're the woman's responsibility, and that women are supposed to praise them and tell them exactly what to do.)

But then it goes just as you may expect from a company that isn't really wholeheartedly supporting breastfeeding at all:

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"	• Dad can let you sleep and rest at night if you have pumped your breast milk and have it available.
	• […] Most lactation experts suggest nursing moms wait until their infant is one month old and breastfeeding is well-established before introducing a bottle. After your baby is comfortable with nursing, a bottle of breast milk can be a positive bonding experience for both dad and his child.[…]

We asked our Facebook fans if they pump so dad can take part in feeding their little ones and here’s what they had to say:

“I have a small freezer stash for if I have something to do and someone is watching the baby, and then I work one night a week so I pump then and the hubby feeds her.”

“Since baby is only a month we haven’t started bottles but hoping hubby can do one bottle feed at night next month.”

“I pump during the day and daddy helps with all day feedings and I nurse at night. Works out so well. Gives me a little break.”"
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No mention at all about how sleeping through the night early on when the baby still needs night feeds may undermine supply, no mention of how pumping all day feeds (!!!!) may undermine supply, nothing. The piece boils down to "One month old? Bottle time! Tired? Bottle time! Want to bond? Bottle time!"

Lara Hopkins
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